Independently operable multiple window structure



May l27, 1952 Filed Dec. l0. 1949 R. S. STRAND INDEPENDENTLY PERABLE MULTIPLE WINDOW STRUCTURE 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 May 27, 1952 Filed Dec. 10. 1949 R. S. STRAND INDEPENDENTLY OPERABLE MULTIPLE WINDOW STRUCTURE 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 /lLlv lia 4i Patented May 27, 1952 INDEPENDENTLY OPERABLE MULTIPLE WINDOW STRUCTURE Russell S. Strand, Huntington Park, Calif., as-

signor to Continental Specialties Company, Ltd., Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application December 10, 1949, Serial No. 132,249

9 Claims.

This invention relates to an independently operable multiple window structure. More particularly, it relates to a structure which is adapted to operate a vertical bank of louver-type windows which swing about horizontal axes between open and closed positions, and which is operable to allow closure or adjustment of the lowermost window of a vertical bank of windows without disturbing the position of the upper windows.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved mechanism capable of connecting a window of the character described with a slide member mounted in a window frame, and of latching and unlatching the connection therebetween to accomplish the functions indicated above.

It is a further object of the invention to provide window fittings or hardware for windows of the character described, allowing a bank of windows arranged in vertical alignment to be operated in unison by manipulation of the lowermost window and which will also allow independent closing or adjustment of the lowermost window after the uppermost windows have been opened to the desired extent.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the ensuing description and the appended claims.

One form which the invention may assume is A exemplified in the following description and illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a fragmentary, sectional View through a window frame showing an upper window and a lower window mounted therein and showing the track member and slide members of the present invention in elevation.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the track member, showing the latch mechanism of the invention in elevation.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are sectional views taken along the lines 3 3, 4 4 and 5 5, respectively, of Fig. l.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional view showing the windows in closed position and the latch mechanism in latched position.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to that of Fig. 6 but showing the latch lever in the position it occupies after opening the windows.

Fig. 8 is a View similar to Fig. 7 but showing the position of the latch lever as the lowermost window is moved toward closed position.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to that of Fig. 8 showing two further stages in the operation of the latch mechanism. i

(Cl. ISB- 67) This application is a companion of my copending application entitled Multiple Window Structure, Serial No. 132,250, led December 10, 1949, to which reference may be had for a disclosure of the entire window and frame. While the present invention partakes of the object and features of my abovementioned application, it constitutes an improvement thereover in providing fora latching mechanism by which one window may be released for independent motion with respect to other windows of theassembly.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Fig. l, a window frame I0 and one of its stiles II is there shown. A lowermost or bottom window I3 and an upper window I3a are shown mounted in the frame. Only two windows are shown but, as will be evident from the ensuing description, three or more windows may be provided and operated in the manner described hereinafter.

Each window I3 or I3a comprises the usual sash Ill and pane I5, and the sashes are rabbetted at I6 in the usual manner. The window frame I0 is formed on each side with alongitudinal channel I1 to slidably receive a channelshaped track member I8. Each window I3 or I3a is connected to the window frame by a pair of arms I 9, only one of which is shown, there being one such arm on each side of the window. Each arm I9 is pivotally connected at one end at 20 to the window sash and it is also pivotally connected at its other end (not shown) to the window frame in the usual manner.`

Each window I3 or I 3a. is also connected by means of a pair of sash plates 24, there being one sash plate on each side of the window connected at one end to the window sash.v Each upper sash plate 24 is also pivotally connected at its other end, at 30, to a shoe 3I which is adjustable in the track member I8. This shoe is seen in cross section in Fig. 4. It is adjustable within the track member I8 and it is clamped in adjusted position by means of a cap screw 32 and a washer 33. The sash plates 24 of the lower window I3 are c. connected to the track members I8 in a different manner. It will be seen that each of the lower sash plates 24 is pivotally connected at 34 to what I call a release shoe 35. The release shoe 35 is slidable within the track member I8 and it is cooperable with a latch shoe 36 in the manner described hereinafter. The latch shoe 36 is adjustable in the track member I8 and, like the upper shoes 3|, it is clamped in adjusted position by means of a cap screw 32 and a washer 33. Assuming that the slide release shoes. 35 and their cooperable latch shoes 36 are latched toby` a lug. 41.

gether to operate as a unit, it will be apparent that the upper shoes 3| and the lower latch shoes 36 may be adjusted lengthwise of the track member I8 and then clamped in adjusted positions. Thereafter, and still assuming that the slide release shoes 35 are latched to their latch shoes 36, it will be apparent that an operating mechanism is provided whereby, when the lower window I3 is opened or closed, the track members I8 will slide down or up, respectively, and that all ofthe windows I3 and I3a will be operated simultaneously. Y Y

A latch mechanism is, however, provided for latching the slide release shoes to their latch shoes, or for unlatching the slide release shoes, so as to make it possible to open the upper windows I3a to the desired extent and then close or adjust the lower window I3 independently without disturbing the upper windows. This latch mechanism will now be described.

Referring now to Figs. 2, 3 and 5, it will be seen that the slide release shoe. 35 and latch shoe 3S are of channel construction and that each of them is disposed with its web portion adjacent the window` I3 and that the. legs of theseV channels are directed inwardly or `toward the window frame I0. Each of these shoes, as mentioned above, is slidable within the. track member I8, although the. latchshoef V36, afterhaving been suitablyadjustedis clamped in adjusted position by means of the cap screw 32 andwasher 33.

Disposed within the latch shoe. 3,6. and .projecting upwardly and outwardly therefrom isa latch lever 4D, having at its upper' enda nose.v 4I

`formed with a notch 42 which is engageablewith a catch .or latch bracket 43. fixed to theslide rel leaseshoe 35. The latch lever 4I). is also formed with a slantingcam surface 44` along: one. edge thereof and with a notch 45 below the. cam sur- .face 44., which is closed at its lower end by means of. a lug 45a. Below the lug145a there is provided another. notch 46..which is closedat its lower end A spring 484 is provided, whichis seated at oneend on a pin 49 projectingfrom-.the

` latch shoe 3fandv at its other end` on-.a pin. 50. projecting from. thev latchY lever140. The... spring 148 is. disposed aboveor below the horizontal center ofza fulerum pin I. which isvixed tor andv projects. from the latchshoe. 36; A lug 52. fixed to and projecting. inwardlyfrom. thelatch shoe-'35 is received within. the vlower notch ,46 and it serves-to limit travel ofv latchy lever V4I).x andv to retain the latch; lever in operativeposition. An

is intended tofpivot the. latch-40. tol the right or f .to thev left` depending uponwhetherthe. pin,:50

and` latch lever 405willoccupy the relative-positions shown in Fig. 6. Asfwill be seen in 'Fig.6, the pivot pin 5I is seatedin the notch 45 and abuts the lug 45a. In this positionA it will= beseenthat thepin 50isflocated above the-pivot'pin-5If. The springv 48, which forms in effecta toggle joint,

l. rocking byfreason of the-engagementfdits-notch i :42;.with-thelatchbracket43:

ssuming that-it is'desired-to openlthewindows I3 and I3a, the lowermost window I3 will be pulled upwardly to the position shown in Fig 7. Since this window is connected pivotally at 34 to the slide release shoe V35, as the window I3 is opened the slide release shoe Vwill slide downwardly in track member VI8 until' it abuts the latch shoe 35, which is clamped to the track member I8. Further opening of the window I3 will of necessity slide the track member I8 downwardly in its channel II. Consequently, the upper windows I3a will be opened simultaneously with thelowermost window I3.

It will also beapparent that in moving the shoe 35 from the posi-tion shown in Fig. 6, wherein it is spaced from the latch shoe 33, to the position shown in Fig. 7, wherein it abuts the latch shoe 36, the latch bracket 43 will be moved clear of the notch 42 in latch lever 49. The latter will, therefore, be free to rock to the right under the force of the spring 48 until it is stopped by. means of the abutment pin 53 at the position shown in Fig. 7.

Assuming now that the upper windows have :been opened to the desired extent and that it is desired to close or adjust the lowermost window I3 without disturbing the upper window, the lowermost window I3 will be pushed downwardly. Since there is nowy no latching connection between slide release shoe 35 and the latch shoe 36, the release shoe 35` will be free tomove upwardly within the track member I8, and the track member I8 will remain stationary. It will therefore be apparent that the lowermost window can be adjusted or completely closed without disturbing the y upper window I3a.

Assuming now that it is desired to close the upper windows Is3a, the lowermost window I3 vwill be re-opened. The slide shoe 35. will be release shoe has occurred, the abutment pin or latch shifting pin 53 will strike the top-of the latch lever.49, as shown in solid lines in Fig.. 9.

Further opening ofthe window I3A and further downward travel of the slide release .shoe35 will therefore push the latch lever downwardly until the upper end of the. notch .45. strikes the pivot pin 5I. Asz the latch lever 49 passes from the up position shown in solid lines in Fig. 9 tothe down positionshown inbreken lines; the-seating pinV ofthe spring 48 will pass from a position above the horizontaldiameter of the pivot pin 54 toa position therebelow. This will cause a rocking of the latch lever 40 to the left `or in-a counterclockwise position as viewed in-Fig.A 9-so that it will assumethe position` shown in broken lines therein. In this position it willv be-afppa-rentethat the notch-42 of the latchl lever-lwill move into position for engagement with, and will engage the latch bracket 43. Such engagement or catching of the latchvlever-fwill be made sensible by-reason of the'fact'that, asthe latch lever 4 0 is rocked out fromunder the.. shifting pin 53 to latching position, a clicking noise will occur which isaudibleand willinform the operator thatthe lai-,ching operation has been accomplished.

The lower window` I3 will-now-be in more or less fully open position and the latch; lever 40 will be in latched position. Asv the lowermost window .I31is then-moved to. closed position, its

wardly. The latching connection-betweenthe slide release shoes and the shoes 36 will cause the track members I8 to also move upwardly, thereby closing all of the windows and causing the operating elements of the window to resume the positions shown in Fig. 6.

It will, therefore, be apparent that a latch mechanism and Window operating structure have been provided in which several desirable objects are achieved. Thus, a travel bar structure is provided which not only provides a tie between vtwo or more windows arranged in vertical alignment so that they may operate in unison, but an adjustable connection between several windows and the travel bar is provided. It is further evident that a latch mechanism is provided, whereby all of the windows may be operated in unison by operation of the lowermost window and wherein the lowermost window, after suitable adjustment of the upper windows, may be operated independently to close it partially or entirely, as desired, thus eliminating drafts but allowing ventilation. The latch mechanism thus described also has a wider eld of utility, as will be apparent.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in its construction by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus deilned my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A window structure of the character described comprising flrst and second structures which are free to move relatively to one another, and means for latching the same together comprising a latch lever mounted on the rst structure, latch engaging means mounted on the second structure, a fulcrum for the latch lever associated with the rst structure, said latch lever being free to shift relatively to said fulcrum, means associated with the first structure for urging the latch lever in a direction to engage said latch engaging means or in a direction to disengage thesame according to the position of the latch lever relatively to the fulcrum, and latch shifting means associated with the second structure for shifting the latch member.

2. A window structure of the character described comprising rst and second slide members adapted to slide independently and latching means for connecting and disconnecting said slide members to slide together or independently, said latching means comprising a latch lever mounted on the iirst slide member, a complemental latch member mounted on the second slide member to engage the latch lever, a fulcrum mounted on the first slide member, said latch lever being shiftable relatively to the fulcrum, means mounted on the first slide member to urge the latch toward or away from the cornplemental latch member according to the position of the latch relatively to its fulcrum, and means operated by the second slide member for shifting the latch.

BIA window structure of the character described comprising rst and second slide members adapted to slide independently and latching means for connecting and disconnecting said slide members to slide together or independently, said latch means comprising a latch lever and fulcrum therefor mounted on the first slide member, said latch being shiftable relatively to said fulcrum, a cooperable latch member mounted on the second slide member to engage the latch lever as said second slide member is moved away from the first slide member, latch rocking means mounted on the first slide member to rock the latch lever toward or away from said cooperable latch member according to the position of the latch lever relatively to its fulcrum, and latch shifting means mounted on said second slide member, said latch rocking means and latch shifting means being so arranged that when the latch lever and latch member are engaged and the second slide member is advanced toward the first slide member the latch, will disengage to allow retraction of the second slide member without movement of the rst slide member and when the second slide member is thereafter advanced the latch will rock to latch engaging position.

4. A window structure of the character described comprising rst and second slide members, a latch lever and a fulcrum therefor mounted on said ilrst slide member, said lever being shiftable relatively to the fulcrum, latch rocking means mounted on said first slide member to rock the latch lever in one direction or the other according to its position relatively to the fulcrum, a latch engaging member and a latch shifting member mounted on the second slide member, said latch engaging member being engageable with said latch lever when the slide members are in spaced relation to lock them together for unitary movement in one direction, said latch rocking means being operable to rock the latch lever away from the latch engaging member when the second slide member is moved toward the first slide member, said latch shifting member being operable to shift the latch lever and reverse the operation of said latch rocking member when moved clear of and then toward the latch lever. l

5. A window structure of the character described comprising iirst and second slide members, a latch engaging member and a latch shifting member xed to the second slide member, a latch fulcrum fixed to the first slide member, a latch lever having a notch formed therein engaging said fulcrum, said notch being wider than said fulcrum to allow advancement and retraction of the latch lever and shifting thereof relatively to the fulcrum, one end of said latch lever being engageable with said latch member to latch the rst and second slide members in spaced relation for unitary movement in one direction,

said one end of the latch lever` being also engageable with said latch shifting member when the slide members are moved toward abutting position to thereby retract the latch lever, and latch rocking means mounted on said first slide member operable to rock the latch lever away from said latch engaging member when the latch lever is in advanced position and to rock the latch lever toward the latch engaging member when the latch lever is in retracted position.

6. A window structure of the character described comprising a rst slide member and a second slide member, a latch bracket and a latch shifting member fixed to the second slide member, a latch lever mounted on the first slide member and having a fulcrum, said latch lever being rockable on its fulcrum toward and away from said latch bracket and being also shiftable in the line of movement of said slide members to vary the position of its fulcrum, said latch lever having an outer end engageable with said latch bracket when the slide members are in spaced relation and being also engageable with said latch shifting member, and means mounted on said Qassam retracted' frein 'theI second'V vslide memberand' vto freek it away? from the latch-V bracket when the V-ilatcl-ileverl is advanced toward -thesecond slide fmember. Y

'7'. A windo-W -stru-'cture- -et the characterdes'cribed comprising track member, a-rstmember; @means `for clamping' 'the' v'first member -to the -track,a secondv member slidablein said track,

latelifmea-ns-for eonneetingthe members together,

isaidlatch"-means comprising a latch engaging ment-linerY ar'leila-latchshiftingv mien-ibler-mounted on l --tlle-"second mem-ber,- ai latch? lever having a fulforum on saidirstmember'a-nd shiftablev relativelytheretofin the line-'of movement-of said membersbetween advanced-and retracted positions, said latch` level-'f having-"a projecting end vengageable-'-'withsaid latch shifting member and *also engageable- With said ,latchv engaging- 'mem-- ber when advanced --pos'ition --a-nd means 'mounted on-said ifi-rstt member-operable torock the-latch "lever when retracted toward said-latch engaging Vmen'rlaer-anel lso-rock the latchin the lipnosi-tei direction whenit is--a'dvancedL --8. A-w'indowfstrncture-of the character-de- 'seribedcompri'sing a track member, a -rst mem- -b'erjmeans for clamping therst member-'to the track, a-second-memberslidable insaid track,

latch fmeansj Yforfconnecting the'membersto- 1 -g'ether. saidl'latchqmeans comprising a: latchl'engaging fmember '-a-ndf aj fla-tch shifting vmember `-nrioi'inted on the second slide member, a latch lever having anv outer end, sai-d latch lever being ful-- crumedonthe member and vbein-g shift'. i abl'e in -theline-of movement of themembers between-'an advanced-- position and a retracted Sa-id latch lever toward' the latch engaging inem'- 'ber-When the lever is vretracted and away therefrom' when the lever is advanced, said spring being voperable when said members are` in sloaced4 relationandV the second member is advanced toward the-'slide member to rock the latch lever out of i "engagement with the latch engaging member,

said latch shifting -means being thereafter operable," 'when the first member is retracted from and then: advanced toward the second member to shift jthe-liatch iverlami reverse the osez-ation of" the spring. H n

9;- In a7 window mounting structure'for a lower window and an upper Window to lie-operatedin unison, comprising a-t-ra'vel 'barA ter-bev vsli-"dably mounted -i-nthestlle-ofl-a window "frame, arms for pivotally connecting the windows'to the Window frameand sash plates for pivotally connecting windows to the travel bar,l theimbrov'ement which 'cmpris'esfaV slide-v member 'for'` the 'lower Window- -slidably mounted on' the "travel bar and pivotal-ly connected'tov the sash plate of saidlovver Window, abutment ,means fi-edfl to-V` the 'travel jbar to lim-itdoWnWa-rd sliding movement of the slide member, latch engaging means and latch'A 'shifting fm'eans mounted on said slide member-a latch lever having a rfulcrl-i-iri fixed'V withv respect't'o the travel bar and engageable with said lat-,cir engaging-means to thereby latch-thelslide -niember' to said travel bar to cause the Vslide'mem-ber'and travel bar to travel upwardly irl-unison, said' latch lever being shiftab'lelongitudinally of 'the' travel bar and rocha-bletransversely A-tl'rereof to` Hand from said latch engaging means, andresi'lient means urging saidlatch lever to or :from said latch engaging means accord-ing tof' 'theqaositi'on of the Vlatchleverv rela-tively toits 'fulerumfthe said various elements Vb-eirgso arranged lt'hatwiien Vthe windows are-in closed positionland' tl'ielower window is opened said slide member willien'g'age said abutment-member--to move thev sii-de bar, when the lower window is thenmovedtoward closed position saidresilient meansv will rock the latch iever' awayA from the 'latch engaging member, and when the lower window is thenv re-op'ened 'the 'latch shifting :means will vengage and shift the-latch Ylever to reverse the opera-tion of said resilient -mea-ns and therebyrock the latch lever into engagement wit-hthe latch engaging member.

RUSSELL S. STRAND;

REFRENCES CITED The fllo'wing'refe'rences are' of V'recorcl'in tlie le of this patent: Y

UNI-TED STATES-PATENTS Wiley l lt Sept-128; 1:9213 

